


Courting Troubles

by Bird_of_Dreams



Series: Courting Troubles [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Attempts at courting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious!Eren, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-22 11:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_of_Dreams/pseuds/Bird_of_Dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Eren is completely oblivious to Corporal Levi's attempts at courting him, said Corporal is frustrated by the absolute lack of progress he is making in wooing an aforementioned cadet, and Hanji Zoe has a field day with the entire thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Screw Subtlety

**Author's Note:**

> Seeing that Ereri/Riren is my new OTP, obsession, and life, I simply had to write something for it. That being said, I really hope that I got all the characters down correctly! (frets nervously)
> 
> This was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but writing about Hanji's advice giving (read: torturing) of Levi was too fun and so it ended up longer than initially planned. Therefore, I decided to split the story up into a two-shot instead. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing that Ereri/Riren is my new OTP, obsession, and life, I simply had to write something for it. That being said, I really hope that I got all the characters down correctly! (frets nervously)
> 
> This was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but writing about Hanji's advice giving (read: torturing) of Levi was too fun and so it ended up longer than initially planned. Therefore, I decided to split the story up into a two-shot instead. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it!

"Hanji?"

The bespectacled squad leader perked up at the sound of her name. She looked up from her notes to smile at the cadet who had just entered her office. "What's up, Eren?"

"I wanted to ask you about something, if you don't mind." Eren hastily added, "But, if you're busy now, I can come back—"

"No, no it's fine," she waved off his worries. "So what's on your mind?"

"Does..." Eren trailed off, looking uncharacteristically nervous for some reason. He swallowed, seeming to steel him nerves for a moment, before spitting out the rest of his question. "Does Corporal hate me by any chance?"

If Hanji were a lesser (wo)man, she would have burst out into hysterical laughter long ago. Instead, she schooled her expression into a more appropriately concerned half-smile. "And why would you think that?"

"Well, for one, Corporal always seems annoyed and snappish whenever he speaks to me..."

"Oh, Eren," Hanji chided. "You should know by now that Levi speaks that way to everybody."

But Eren wasn't known for being stubborn for nothing. "That may be true, but there were other incidents as well!"

"Really?" Hanji looked curious now. "Like what?"

"One time when I was wiping down a room, Corporal came in, took a look, then told me to run off and do something else because he didn't think that 'shitty brats were competent enough to clean the entire room by themselves.'" Eren recounted.

"And another time, when I was doing hand-to-hand combat training with Auruo, Corporal told me to sit out for the rest of training after Auruo landed a single hit on me." He gave a resigned sort of sigh. "Corporal must have seen that terrible display and thought me unworthy to keep training with someone from his squad."

"No, I don't think that's it," Hanji said trying—and failing—to hold in her badly hidden grin.

"I also noticed that Corporal makes frequent trips down to my room in the dungeon, whether it is to wake me up in the morning or to accompany me down when it's time to sleep," Eren continued. "Is he watching to see whether I would slip up and lose control of my Titan? I have gotten better at controlling it though! I won't just suddenly lose control like that—at least, I'm pretty sure I won't..." He trailed off uncertainly.

Hanji listened to Eren's concerns with an open ear and hummed thoughtfully. "Say Eren, for you to worry this much about what Levi thinks of you, you must really like him, huh?"

"What?" Eren was completely unprepared for Hanji's unexpected question. "N-No, I...I just admire and respect Corporal Levi very much, that's all!" But he couldn't hide the light telltale flush that crept up his cheeks all the same.

Hanji saw Eren's denial for what it really was. "Of course," she grinned widely, obviously unconvinced. "Tell you what, Eren. If you watch closely, you'll see that Levi really doesn't hate you like how you believe he does." She murmured the next line to herself. "In fact, it's the complete opposite."

"Huh? What was that?"

The bespectacled squad leader merely chuckled in response, as if she were enjoying some sort of inside joke at Eren's expense. "Nothing, nothing~ Your fears are completely misplaced, Eren. Trust me when I say that you have absolutely nothing to worry about!"

"If you say so..." Eren still looked dubious, but he collected himself as he straightened up and saluted. "Thank you very much for listening to my troubles, Squad Leader. Do you need my help with any experiments right now?

Usually Hanji would jump at any chance to run more experiments on Eren, but right now, she had far more pressing matters—and a rather impatient visitor—to address. "You're such a good boy, Eren." Hanji said fondly as she ruffled his hair. "But there are other things I have to take care of now, so go ahead and take some time for yourself!"

"Okay. I will probably be in the training area or stables if you need to find me later."

"Perfect!" She chirped. Hanji watched as Eren gave her another acknowledging nod and waited until he disappeared down the hallway. She hummed to herself for a moment before she cheerfully called out to a seemingly empty room. "He's gone now."

"About time. And here I thought the two of you would spend the rest of the day gossiping about me." Lance Corporal Levi himself emerged from within the supply closet that the other open door in the room led to, his usual impassive expression present on his face.

"Well, you can't blame Eren for not knowing that you were in there the entire time," Hanji said with an amused smile.

"No one said that it was a good idea to gossip about your superior officer without checking your surroundings first."

"True~" Hanji suddenly spun around in her chair to face Levi as an ear-splitting grin broke across her face. "So, you heard what Eren just said..."

"Tch," Levi looked highly annoyed. "That damn brat is as dense as a nail."

"I assume that those situations weren't exactly what Eren made them out to be then?"

"Of course not," Levi plopped himself down on an empty seat across from Hanji. "It's not my fault if the damn brat misunderstands everything."

"Let me guess," Hanji tapped her pen against cheek. "When you told Eren to stop cleaning the room, it was because you felt bad for making him wipe down an entire room all by himself. You had him stop the hand-to-hand combat training with Auruo because you were worried after he took that hit, even though Eren would have probably been fine given his regenerative abilities. And those frequent trips down to the dungeon was obviously so that you could spend as much time as you possibly can with him." She grinned proudly. "So am I right, or am I right?"

"I didn't remember asking you for your analysis, shitty glasses."

"Have you ever thought about being more obvious with your affections?" Hanji suggested. "Subtlety doesn't seem to be working out in your favor."

"How much more obvious can I be? If you're expecting me to prance up to him and declare my undying love, don't hold your breath." Levi said brusquely.

Hanji smiled wryly. "You have to remember that this  _is_  Eren we are talking about, Levi. Most people might have some clue by now, but Eren, well, let's just say that he's the type where you can go up to and propose with cut up Titan body parts and he would still be clueless."

Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No one in their right mind would propose using Titan body parts anyways. That's a disgusting and absolutely filthy idea." He trained Hanji with an intense look. "So you're insinuating that I have to court him with more obvious means."

"Hey, you said it, not me," Hanji said, raising her hands. "All I'm saying is that it's not a bad idea for you to show your affection for Eren a bit more. Poor kid still thinks you hate him or something."

Levi poured himself a cup of tea from the cooling teapot on the table before taking an angry gulp of the liquid. "Of all the troublesome brats to fall for..."

"Now, now, Levi. No one ever said that the road to love is a smooth one," she raised a fist as a passionate gleam entered her eyes. "But the obstacles you face on the way to true love will strengthen your bond all the more!"

Levi threw her a withering look. "Are you done spouting your nonsense or do you just enjoy hearing yourself ramble on?"

Hanji clapped a heavy hand on Levi's shoulder, ignoring the glare that was directed in her direction. "I'm rooting for you in the sidelines! Remember that you can come to me any time you need more advice~"

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind if I ever want to be diagnosed by a Titan fanatic." Levi stood up and made his way to the door. "As fun as this has been, some of us have actual work to take care of."

"Have fun thinking up of plans to woo Eren into your bed!"

Having somewhat anticipated Levi's response, Hanji was able to quickly dodge the kick that he suddenly launched in her direction. The corporal threw her one last heated glare before gracefully making his way out of the room.

Hanji waited until a few moments for the coast to be clear before she showed her wide, slightly maniacal smile in all its full glory. "Oh, this will make excellent data!"

* * *

Levi put his plan into action that very night.

Dinner, as usual, was a noisy affair. The dining hall was teeming with rowdy soldiers who were recounting their day to friends, gossiping over the latest news, or just taking a brief moment to relax in the midst of their hectic lifestyles.

Levi watched over this scene from his table with an impassive stare. Periodically, he threw fleeting glances over at Eren, who was seated with his fellow members of the 104th Trainee Squad at another table.

Several minutes later, Levi saw an opportune time to strike and decided to make his move.

Irvin threw him a questioning glance when he suddenly got up from the table with a plate held in one hand. "Levi?"

"Where are you going, Corporal?" Petra echoed the Commander's sentiments.

Ignoring both their questions, Levi made his way across the dining hall, a very clear destination in mind.

Hanji couldn't hold back the excited little laugh that bubbled out from her when she realized exactly what Levi was doing. "Oh, this is going to be  _good_!"

"Hm?" Irvin swiveled around to follow Levi's path and immediately caught on to the situation. " _Oh,_ " he let out an amused chuckled himself. "I see. I take it that he's given up on the subtle approach then?"

"So it seems," Petra said, a slight twinkle lighting up in her eyes. "Squad Leader Hanji, how long have you known?"

"About this development?" Hanji laughed gleefully. "Just this afternoon. I take it that he finally ran out of patience when Eren came to me this morning, voicing about his worries of having Levi 'hate' him of all things."

Petra winced in sympathy while Irvin gave another chuckle. "The confrontation that followed must have gone well."

"As well it could have," Hanji hummed. "As you can see, this is the answer he has come up with."

Irvin shook his head, still looking highly amused. "Seems like it won't be much longer until Levi finally acquires his target."

A wide mischievous smile split across Hanji's face. "Say, Irvin, care to share your thoughts as to how long it will take for Levi to succeed this time around?"

Irvin matched Hanji's smile with one of his own. "Why, Hanji, if I didn't know you any better, I would think that you were proposing a bet of sorts."

If possible, Hanji's smile widened even more. "Only if you insist on one."

"Commander, Squad Leader, the two of you should know better than to bet on something like this," Petra chastised. A pause. "Though if I really had to, I would say that it shouldn't take longer than a week at most."

"A week?" Hanji said. "Hah, of course it wouldn't take that long! I mean, look at him!" She gestured toward the corporal, who was now approaching Eren's table with the same determination in his stride as when he is slaying Titans.

"Levi is very efficient," Irvin said, agreeing. "I would say three more days, tops."

"Aw, I was going to guess that! Can't you go higher?"

"If you recall, I believe that I was the one who presented this guess first."

"Can't we just wait and see how this plays out?" Petra asked exasperatingly.

"What? And take all the fun out of the guesswork?" Hanji pouted.

Irvin gave a placating smile. "Petra's right. Besides, just watching this itself should doubtless be entertaining enough for you."

"You're right!" Hanji looked ecstatic. "Can you imagine what kind of information I can get out of this whole thing? The possibilities are endless!"

The other members of the Special Ops squad, however, didn't catch up as quickly and looked more than confused by the entire exchange.

"Where's Corporal going with that plate?" Erd wondered.

Gunter shrugged. "Beats me." He turned to Hanji. "Squad Leader, were you, the Commander, and Petra discussing classified information earlier?

Hanji looked like she was about to split her sides from holding in her laughter. "I guess you could say that~"

Auruo gave a self-important huff. "Hm! It's obvious that Corporal Levi has an important issue that only he can take care of."

Petra gave a slight roll of her eyes at their obliviousness and muttered under her breath. "Men."

"Shhh!" Hanji suddenly made frantic hushing gestures. "Hush! The show's about to start!" She grabbed a clipboard from seemingly out of nowhere and had her pen poised at the ready as a fanatical gleam entered her eyes.

All eyes turned to Levi, who was now bearing down on an unsuspecting Eren.

"—and then I tried to go in for some conditioning, but the training rooms were all full!" Eren was so busy recounting his day to Mikasa and Armin that he failed to notice the newest addition to their table.

"Eren!" Armin whispered urgently. He gave a subtle nudge of his head, attempting to alert Eren of the presence behind him.

Eren frowned. "What is, Armin?" He turned around to suddenly find himself face to face with—"Corporal! I apologize for not noticing you earlier!" He saluted sharply, every muscle poised and ready at attention. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

"Eren."

"Yes, sir!" Eren straightened up in his seat even more. So focused was he on Levi that he didn't notice that by now, their exchange had attracted the attention of the rest of his table mates, as well as a majority of the dining hall.

"Tell me, Eren." Levi leveled Eren with a hard look. "Is this pathetic excuse for food all that you are having for dinner?" Levi was referring to the piece of dry bread and the sloppy mess of mashed potatoes that Eren had left half-picked on his plate.

"Huh?" Eren looked immensely confused by the unexpected question. "Yes, sir?"

"I see." Levi held his scrutinizing stare for a while longer. "I don't recall ever having given you an order to starve yourself."

The tips of Eden's ears flushed red in embarrassment. "No, sir. The fault lies entirely with me."

"Explain."

Eren seemed to hunch in on himself. "I-I didn't finish sweeping the stables by the time dinner was served so I stayed in a bit later in order to finish. By the time I got here, most of the food was gone already." He gave a sheepish look. "Armin and Mikasa tried to save me some food, but as you can see, everyone was extremely hungry today..."

Eren trailed off when Levi didn't show any outward reaction to his words. "I'm sorry, Corporal. I'll try harder next time to finish on time..."

The plate that Levi suddenly set down on the table cut Eren off mid-sentence.

"Eat."

Eren merely stared, wide-eyed and stunned, at the large slab of ham that lay glistening on the plate. "Corporal?"

"Do you need a written invitation or something, shitty brat? Unless you are trying to tell me that you can't comprehend an order as simple as this."

"Not at all, sir!" Eren was quick to reply. He slowly cut a piece of the ham, aware of everyone's eyes on him. He hesitated as he brought the piece up to his mouth. "Uhm...may I ask why, Corporal?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you." At Eren's crestfallen expression, Levi gave an almost indecipherable sigh. "Brats like yourself are still growing so you need all the food you can get." Levi's impassive stare suddenly shifted into a glare. "From now on, I don't care what chores or other duties you haven't finished yet, but as soon as dinnertime rolls around, you are to report promptly over to the dining hall. Do you understand, Eren?"

Eren, who was dazed by Levi's explanation ( _'he actually cares about me!_ '), quickly snapped into a salute. "Yes, sir!"

Something akin to approval entered Levi's eyes. "Good." He gestured impatiently to the still uneaten piece of meat. "Well?"

"Ah, right!" Eren turned his attention back on the ham with renewed gusto. He did have a rather shitty dinner after all and so he was still fairly hungry. He placed his first piece of cut ham into his mouth and was unable to stop the small groan that tumbled reflexively out of his mouth.

" _Oh my god_." Eren could hear Sasha's whimpered cry from down the table.

"This is really good, Corporal!" Eren said enthusiastically between bites. The tender and moist ham was smoked and seasoned to perfection. It was cooked just right so that the juice from it continued to dribble down Eren's lips as he ate.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Levi snapped. "That's disgusting. I don't need to see what's going on in your mouth."

The ravenous cadet made quick work of the meat and within minutes, the entire piece was gone. Eren licked his lips free of the last remnants of meat and sat back, feeling much more contented now that there was something substantial filling his stomach.

Levi made a disgruntled sound at the back of your throat. "Look at you, you're absolutely filthy. Can't you even eat properly?"

As Levi removed a handkerchief from his pocket, incredulous whispers suddenly broke out across the dining hall like wildfire.

"That's Corporal's own handkerchief!"

"His own  _personal_ handkerchief?"

"I've never seen Corporal let someone else use it before!"

Before Eren could apologize, Levi took his chin in a hand and with his other, began to wipe away the remains of the juice that Eren failed to lick away earlier with a surprisingly gentle touch.

Red immediately bloomed along Eren's cheeks. "C-Corporal?"

"Stop your unnecessary fidgeting, you shitty brat." Eren's eyes widened, but he forced himself to remain in place as Levi meticulously scrubbed his mouth clean. He tried to look at anywhere but Levi as his heated touch became almost unbearable to endure.

Eren could feel the flush on his face increase tenfold as Levi gave one last wipe, his touch lingering a little longer than was necessary. His fingertips brushed briefly along the corner of Eren's mouth before they finally retreated.

"There." Levi folded the handkerchief neatly back into his pocket. "At least you look presentable now. It wouldn't kill you to try to consume your food more neatly next time, would it?"

"No, sir." Eren willed his flush to fade, but he could still feel the heat on his cheeks.

"I expect you to arrive on time for dinner from now on, Eren. If not, there will be consequences." And with that, Levi made his way back to his own table, paying no heed to all the dumbfounded looks that followed him.

As soon as Levi left, the rest of the 104th jumped on Eren, curiosity burning brightly in their eyes.

"What was that all about?" Connie immediately demanded.

"He gave you  _meat_." Sasha moaned. "Delicious high-quality meat! That's the good stuff that only ranked officials get!"

"Currying favors with the corporal, huh?" Ymir remarked. "Not a bad idea."

Reiner gave him a lecherous leer. " _Favors_ , huh, Eren? Way to go." He reached over to give Eren a hard thump on his back.

Even Armin was looking at him strangely. "Did something happen with the corporal, Eren?"

"Is that midget forcing you to do something?" Mikasa asked sharply. "If he is Eren, I'll..."

Eren shook off all the their inquiries with a literal shake of his head. "No, nothing's happening with Corporal." He sighed in self-loathing. "Nothing can happen anyways because Corporal probably hates me."

Jean snorted. "Hate you? If you think that Corporal Levi hates you after a display like that, you're dumber that I thought you were. Who the hell treats to food and wipes the face of someone they supposedly 'hate'? That was gross, by the way. You just made me lose my appetite. Take your PDA somewhere else next time."

Normally, Eren would have started verbally, and possibly physically, sparring with Jean for an insult like that. But Jean's words were completely neglected in face of what he said instead. Newfound hope bloomed up in Eren's chest like a fragile flower bud. Was it possible that Corporal didn't hate him after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren, you're so silly. Poor heichou must be so exasperated with you. Stay tuned for more Levi x Eren action next chapter—this chapter was mostly for setting up the premises of the courting.


	2. The Direct Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following his new 'direct approach', Levi helps Eren with his training, among other things. Hanji and Irvin are incredibly amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I lied. Instead of being a twoshot, this has now been extended to a threeshot. I trust there won't be too many complaints about that? On a side note, I was very much shocked (in a good way of course) by how well-received this has been so far. Thank you all very much for your support! I hope this chapter, and the next, continue to meet your expectations!

It was already early afternoon, but the training fields were surprisingly empty for once when Eren arrived for his usual 3d maneuver gear training with one of the members of the Special Ops squad.

Eren breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw that he had arrived before his instructor. Most of the time Petra, Erd, and Gunter were fairly lenient with him, but he didn't want to risk making his instructor wait, especially if he were to end up with Auruo for that day.

Seeing that he still had a bit of time to spare, Eren started on some light stretches to help warm up his muscles. As he let his body work through the repetitive sets of stretches, Eren began to let his mind drift off, especially to the events of the previous night.

Heat immediately flooded his cheeks as he thought about what had happened, especially when he recalled Levi's heated touch by his lips. Eren clapped both hands to his cheeks, willing his flush to fade. ' _You're overthinking it_!' he scolded himself harshly.  _'Corporal was just being considerate_!'

"Oi. You don't honestly expect to train with that kind of idiotic expression on your face, do you, Eren?"

Every single one of Eren's muscles froze in place as he heard from the very last person he wanted to see right now, given his current condition.

"C-Corporal!" Eren quickly straightened up and tried to compose himself. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Levi deadpanned. He walked toward the set of walls that were kept aside specifically for maneuvering practice. "Hurry up, we're wasting precious daylight."

Only now was Eren slowly beginning to realize what was going on. "...Corporal, it can't be that you're my gear instructor today?"

Levi gave him a flat stare. "Do you have a fucking problem with that?"

At those words, Eren felt as if his brain had shut down from sheer shock. As far as he knew, Levi  _never_  gave lessons in gear maneuvering. He quickly came to his senses and hastily said, "No! Not at all, sir! I just thought that it was going to be someone else from the Special Ops squad as usual since you are normally busy with your other duties, Corporal."

"Why don't you leave the handling of my schedule to me instead, Eren?" Levi replied. "From the reports I've heard so far, you need all the help you can get in order to improve your shitty maneuvering skills."

The insult didn't even faze Eren in the slightest because it suddenly hit him—really hit him—that oh my god he was going to get  _private 3d maneuver gear training with Humanity's Strongest_. He even subtly pinched himself to make sure that no, he wasn't dreaming. Eren beamed brightly as unbridled excitement coursed through his veins. "It's an honor to be training with you, sir!"

"Wipe that stupid expression off your face, it makes you look dumber than usual."

Eren tried his best to curb in his enthusiasm as the corporal began to speak. "Judging from what I've seen so far, your basic maneuvering skills are passable at best, but you're absolute shit when it comes to the more advanced techniques." Levi stated bluntly. "Sticking with the basics might seem fine and all...until you run out of gas in the middle of battle. Then you're basically fucked."

"Unlike you, most of us can't just turn into a bigass Titan whenever the hell we want, so we have to rely solely on our skills to survive," Levi paused for a moment as his unflinching stare bore into Eren's own eyes. "Today I will attempt to drill into that minuscule brain of yours an important maneuver that can potentially save your sorry ass one day."

Eren was nearly beside himself with anticipation. "What technique is it, Corporal?"

"Why don't you put that brain of yours to work for once?" Levi snapped before answering. "It's one of the more commonly seen advanced maneuvers, but also one of the most difficult to pull off correctly—spinning."

"Spinning?" Eren was suddenly struck with an image of Levi in battle, whirling gracefully through the air, his blades nothing more than a lethal silver blur that delivered certain death to any Titan unfortunate enough to cross his path.

"It's a damn good technique to know, especially if you can consistently pull it off during battle." Levi said, pulling Eren away from his thoughts. "It both maximizes your mobility while minimizing your gas usage. But first thing's first, have you ever even heard of centripetal and centrifugal force and momentum or is your pathetic education even more lacking than I thought?"

"Yes, sir!" came Eren's immediate response. "Uhm...at least I think so?" He trailed off uncertainly.

Levi looked far from impressed. "Alright, listen up you ignorant brat, the reason why spinning attacks are far more likely to successfully kill a Titan is due to the additional force provided by your spin. That's your centripetal and centrifugal force at work. You use the momentum of your initial swing to propel yourself up to an appropriate height without using any additional gas before beginning the spin. Surely even someone of your intelligence level can understand this much."

"Yes, sir!" Eren looked extremely eager to start—his excitement was rolling off of him in waves. "Can I please try it out now?"

"So eager to fail are we, Eren? Well, don't let me rain on your parade."

Eren didn't let Levi's words deter him. He was going to learn a new maneuvering technique and it was going to be from Corporal Levi himself. This was going to be fun!

* * *

 _Who was the idiot who said that this was going to be fun again?_ Eren groaned as his body slipped out from his latest spinning attempt. He only barely managed to keep himself from taking a painful spill to the ground (again) by quickly shooting another grapple to slow his descent. Eren's feet slid along the side of the wall and he bit back a frustrated sigh when he realized that he had failed yet again.

Even from the ground, Levi's sarcasm could still be heard as clear as day. "Well, congratulations, Eren. I never thought I would say this, but you've managed to impress me through the sheer number of times you have failed."

Eren slowly lowered himself back onto the ground. "I'm really sorry, Corporal. I'll try harder next time." Despite the fact that Levi had hurled insult after insult at him after every failed attempt ("How the hell you managed to pass training is something I want to know."), Eren was surprised that he was still willing to stick around despite his very obvious lack of progress.

"The results probably wouldn't change much even if you did," Levi remarked idly.

"Sorry..." Eren could only mumble in response. He lowered his head as he clenched his fists in frustration. Dammit! Why couldn't he get this?

Levi took in the sight of the discouraged Eren and let out an imperceptible sigh. "Maybe this technique was too advanced for you after all. Let's call it a day and..."

"No!"

Levi raised an eyebrow at Eren's sudden outburst. Eren's hands fisted into his pants. "Please! I-I know I can do it, Corporal, I just need a little bit more time!" For some reason, the thought of disappointing the corporal was something that Eren just couldn't handle. He refused to let all the time and effort that Corporal had spent teaching him go to waste.

"I will master it!" Eren said decisively, the same determination that Levi witnessed during their first meeting burning brightly in his vibrant green eyes. Eren swore to himself right then and there that he will succeed or he was willing to die trying (though at this rate, the latter seemed very likely).

Levi stared at the resolute figure before him for a moment longer and heaved another light sigh. "I'm not going to stop you when you've obviously made up your mind, Eren." He stepped forward and tapped Eren on the chest. "But you're going about this entirely wrong. Your body is too damn stiff. You're not a useless sack of flour, so stop acting like one. Let your body relax until you reach the highest point of the arc, then let your momentum carry you through the spin."

"Relax my body..." Eren murmured, hanging onto Levi's every word as if it were gold itself.

"Now watch closely, Eren, because I'm not going to demonstrate this again." Levi shot a grapple into the nearby building and used it to launch himself up to rooftop. He then aimed another grapple at the opposite wall, leapt down from his perch, and swung himself into a wide arc to propel himself high into the air. At the peak of his arc, Levi effortlessly threw himself into a fluid spin, before ending by landing gracefully next to Eren.

Eren's voice was breathless with awe. "Corporal's form is so flawless."

"Of course, brat. That's a skill honed from countless battles you're seeing here," Levi said bluntly. "Now, isn't it your turn to attempt to impress me or are we just going to stand here and make idle chit-chat for the rest of the day?"

"Yes, sir! I'll be going now!" Eren looked up at the walls with no little amount of trepidation. Like Levi beforehand, Eren used a grapple to propel himself up to a higher altitude before starting. He took a deep breath, shot his grapple into the opposite wall, and leapt.

_Keep your body relaxed_ , Eren repeated the directions in his mind as he used his wire to swing his body into a sweeping arc.  _Wait until the highest point_ , Eren gritted his teeth as he hit the apex of his curve.  _Then spin_! The difference was immediately noticeable—unlike the previous times, Eren felt his body actually responding to his thoughts as he performed a slightly awkward, but still perfectly intact spin.

Eren landed, eyes and mouth agape. "I...I did it!"

"So you did, Eren." Levi allowed a small, rarely seen smile to grace his lips. "Good job. You worked hard today."

"I did it!" Eren repeated disbelievingly. When the realization of what he had just accomplished truly set in, Eren gave a loud whoop. "I did it! I can't believe it! Yes!  _I did it_!"

"Oi, don't get cocky, brat. One lucky attempt doesn't mean that..."

Levi was cut off when Eren suddenly engulfed him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Corporal!" Eren all but gushed as he continued to hold onto the older man. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

To his credit, Levi reacted with nothing more than a slight widening of his eyes. "Eren." His voice sounded slightly strained. "Oi, Eren."

Awareness of his careless actions suddenly caught up to his euphoric mood and Eren quickly dropped his hands from Levi as if they were burned. "I-I'm so sorry, Corporal!" Eren stuttered, red-faced and embarrassed. "I didn't mean to...I mean I was just so..."

"It's fine." Levi said stiffly. His hands tightened imperceptibly by his sides, as if he were holding them in place.

"I, uhm..." Eren stammered, trying to dispel the awkward air that suddenly settled between them. He settled for bowing lowly. "Thank you very much for teaching this new technique to me, Corporal Levi sir! It was an honor learning from you today!"

Seeing Eren act like his usual self was enough to bring Levi out of whatever haze that had briefly settled over him earlier. "Don't think you've mastered that technique just because you managed to get it once. You have to keep practicing until you can perform it even in your sleep. Maneuvers aren't worth shit unless you can pull them off consistently."

"I understand, Corporal." Eren said earnestly. He winced slightly when he felt his muscles beginning to protest against the intense workout he had just put them through. Eren was thrilled to have successfully learned the new technique, but he knew that he was going to be immensely sore tomorrow. The spinning maneuver had worked out muscles that Eren didn't even know he had. "Now if Corporal would excuse me..."

"Where do you think you're going, Eren? I don't recall having dismissed you yet."

Eren halted in mid-step. "I thought we were done here, sir?" he asked uncertainly. Eren didn't think his muscles could last if Levi wanted him to keep practicing.

"I didn't actually think that you were stupid enough to leave before caring for your muscles, especially after such extensive training with the 3d maneuver gear."

"Caring for my muscles?"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Didn't they teach you shit back in training? Yes, caring for your muscles, you ignorant brat. Don't tell me you actually expect to be able to move around normally after a training session like that. If you don't properly massage your muscles after using your gear, you're going to be sore as fuck tomorrow."

"Oh..." Eren followed with wide eyes, as Levi sat them both down on a relatively clean patch of grass.

"Massaging your muscles immediately after a hard workout can help reduce inflammation in muscles and help speed up muscle recovery. Not that you need the increased recovery," Levi added wryly. "But anything beats feeling like complete and utter shit."

"Wow, I didn't know that..." Eren contemplated this new piece of knowledge.

"And now you do. Well?"

"Oh, right! Uhm..." Eren glanced nervously at Levi before placing his hands on his own leg and gingerly rubbing at it.

"How can you expect to massage anything by using such pitiful strength?" Levi said, sighing. "Like this."

Eren yelped when Levi suddenly picked up Eren's legs and draped them across his own lap. "C-Corporal? W-What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Levi said. "You obviously have no prior experience doing this and you're going to do a shitty job if I leave you to it so I will have to show you myself."

"But Corporal..." Eren was trying and failing to hide his rapidly growing blush. "Can't you just tell me what I'm supposed to do?"

"No. Now shut up and watch." Eren bit his lip and tried to control his flush as he watched Levi strip off his boots. He tensed up slightly when he felt Corporal's hands on his sore calf, but a moment, a soft sigh fell unbidden from his lips when Levi expertly kneaded at a pressure point.

The corporal's hands were warm and steady against his legs and Eren felt himself beginning to melt against his touch as Levi massaged all the soreness out of his muscles. Eren's eyelids fluttered close and he emitted soft little sighing sounds every now and then as Levi continued to work on his stiff legs.

"Feels good, doesn't it, Eren?" Levi said huskily.

Eren was in complete and utter bliss until he felt Levi's hands slowly skim up his thighs. His eyes snapped open as red quickly flooded his cheeks once again. "C-Corporal?"

Eren was surprised to see that Levi's face had crept quite close to his own. His wide green eyes met with Levi's own and from this distance, Eren could see the corporal's gray eyes smoldering with something he couldn't quite name.

"Are you just going to keep staring all day, shitty brat?"

"Oh, sorry!" Eren quickly looked away, only belatedly realizing then that the corporal had already slipped his legs off from his lap in his brief lapse of concentration. For a moment, Eren missed the familiar warmth that Levi's lap and hands provided, but he quickly shook that thought from his head as he donned his boots.

"Corporal, I just wanted to say again thank you very much for today! I learned a whole lot!"

"I already heard you the first time. Now go wash up, take a shit, and do whatever the hell you do to get ready for dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Eren quickly rushed off, eager to share with his friends all the new things he had learned today. In the back of his mind, a little voice questioned why Corporal had acted so, dare he say it, nice to him today, but Eren quickly shoved it aside—those thoughts were something he would have to ponder on later.

Levi watched until Eren disappeared into the doors of the building before releasing the small breath he didn't realize he was holding. He clenched a fist.

"Shitty brat, how much longer are you going to keep me waiting?"

* * *

It wasn't until early afternoon of the next day before Eren found out the repercussions of yesterday's training session.

"Hey, Eren!" Hanji waved enthusiastically from her spot at one of the tables.

"Hello, Hanji," Eren greeted when he made his way over. "Was there something you needed from me?"

"No, I was just wondering whether or not you had lunch yet," Hanji chirped. "If not, you can eat with me!"

Eren blinked at the unexpected question. "Oh, I already ate with my friends earlier. Thanks for the offer though."

"That's fine then." Hanji said, nodding. She sighed. "Too bad I can't say the same for Levi though."

Eren immediately snapped to attention. "Is something wrong with Corporal?!"

"No, no, nothing too serious," Hanji quickly reassured. "But I'm just worried that he's overworking himself, you know? I mean, he did grab a quick bite to eat for lunch, but he couldn't stay long because he had tons of paperwork he had to catch up on."

"Corporal has lots of paperwork he has to catch up on?" Eren repeated, incredulous. The corporal had always been one to stay on top of his responsibilities. Eren couldn't imagine what could have caused Levi to push back his work like this.

"Oh, didn't you know? Levi had a particularly large amount of paperwork to take care of this week, but he still insisted on taking time out to help you with your 3d maneuver gear training yesterday."

"Corporal did?" Eren looked stricken as guilt began to gnaw away at him. He was the cause for Corporal overworking himself?

"No, no, no, I'm not blaming you in the slightest, Eren!" Hanji quickly said. "Sorry, I got carried away with myself for a moment. Levi didn't actually want you to find out about this, you see."

"He didn't?" Eren looked hurt. "But why not?"

"Well, first, probably because he knew you would react like this." Hanji said, reaching out to ruffle Eren's hair. "Cheer up, Eren! You can't blame yourself. Levi did what he did because that's what he wanted to. You know Levi, always trying to shoulder everything by himself. It would be nice if he could rely on others more." she mused.

Eren seemed to ponder over something for a moment, his mouth pressed into a thin line, his brows furrowing in concentration, before he made up his mind. "Thank you for letting me know, Hanji," he said, giving her a courtesy bow before heading for the door.

Hanji cocked her head curiously. "Where are you going?"

"Even though Corporal has so much work of his own work to take care of, he still took the time to help me with my training yesterday." Eren looked determined. "Now, I want to be the one to help him in any way I can."

"You're such a good boy, Eren." Hanji cooed. "I'm sure that Levi would appreciate the help, especially if it's from you."

"I really hope so."

"Oh, but I'm  _quite_  certain~"

Watching as Eren walked purposefully out the room, Hanji let out a mad cackle as soon as the cadet left her line of sight. "This is too much." She said, pounding the table as she wiped tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes.

Irvin came up to her table a moment later, shooting Hanji a half-exasperated look as he took the seat next to her. "You said too much, Hanji."

"Hey, a little intervention never hurt anyone, right?"

" _You_  might end up getting hurt if Levi finds out what you just did."

"But I want to see some more progress! All this time and we only got a bit of touching action going on!" Hanji exclaimed. She jabbed an accusing finger. "And don't pretend that you're not enjoying this as much as I am, Irvin."

Irvin shook his head as an amused chuckle slipped out from him. "I never said that I wasn't. That maneuver gear training session yesterday was quite the interesting sight."

A wide smile split across Hanji's face. "Wasn't it? Ahh, that was the cutest thing ever! And I had the greatest view from my office too~ I never thought that Levi could be such a good teacher!"

"It was only because this is Eren that Levi would go this far. Anyone else would have probably been reduced to tears by the fifth failed attempt."

"True, true! And did you see when Eren hugged him afterwards? I thought Levi was going to take him then and there! But then he still insisted on helping him massage his muscles afterwards," Hanji gave an incredulous laugh. "Levi's self control is truly commendable."

"It's probably because he couldn't stand the sight of Eren in pain." Irvin mused. "However, Levi's most likely reaching his limit by now. It's already been two days since he decided to implement his new 'direct approach' tactic, the first night notwithstanding."

"Aha! So you are keeping track!"

"If you don't recall, Hanji, I believe that it was you who first instigated this so-called bet."

"Eh? But I thought we never officially consented to it!"

Irvin gave a slight smirk. "Oh, but I never actually said that I didn't agree to it, now did I?"

Hanji shook her head as she smiled indulgently. "Calculating as always, Irvin."

"You should have known better than to try to bet against me, Hanji." Irvin gave a disarming smile. "Regardless, the end is drawing near. It shouldn't be much longer now."

"You're right as usual." Hanji looked giddy at the prospect of finally seeing the two together after months of dancing around each other. "Ahh, I simply can't wait! This is going to be glorious!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much UST I'm dying. I'm so sorry, heichou, but please endure a little longer. You're almost there! For the rest of you readers out there, I hope you enjoyed this! Please continue to cheer on heichou as he continues to fight against the odds!


	3. The End Justifies the Means

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an encounter in Levi's office, Eren finally realizes his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm so sorry that I kept you waiting so long for this update. School has just been so extremely busy, especially since I'm taking two science classes this semester. I feel really terrible, but I hope you can forgive me with this final chapter of Courting Troubles. Thank you all so much for all your support!

Glancing up from the form he had just finished signing, Levi eyed the large stack of remaining paperwork with thinly veiled disdain. He should have known better than to take time out of his already busy schedule to oversee Eren's training, but his body had reacted before his mind did—when Petra had asked who had wanted to help Eren with his training this week, Levi had promptly offered.

Hanji had shot him a knowing smirk at the time (to which he promptly rewarded with a swift kick), but the damage had been done. Still, when Levi thought back to how happy Eren had looked when he finally completed the spin and the way his sea-green eyes had glittered like a pair of fucking diamonds, Levi found that he couldn't fault himself with his impromptu decision.

Of course the repercussions of said decision were far from being pleasant—here Levi shot another annoyed look at his paperwork—but if spending more time with Eren helped shitty brats with far too expressive eyes from acting so fucking oblivious, Levi would take the extra paperwork any day.

A soft knock suddenly sounded at his door, jolting Levi out of his musings.

Levi didn't bother trying to mask his irritation when he answered. "What is it?"

The door swung open, admitting the very person from his thoughts. Eren stepped hesitatingly into the office, clutching at a cup of tea, and unconsciously biting on his lower lip as he stared at Levi with guilt-ridden eyes.

A single glance was enough for Levi to discern that Eren knew about his decision to help with his training and the consequences of said decision. And now, looking at the telltale signs of guilt swirling about in the wide green depths of Eren's eyes, Levi thought that this was exactly why he didn't want Eren to find out.

_Note to self: kill shitty glasses at earliest convenience._

"I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Corporal," Eren began. "But I was wondering if there was anything I could help you with. Oh, and I brought you some tea as well, if you want it." He set the cup down with a soft  _clink_  before backing away, still staring at Levi with the same look in his eyes.

Levi hated it, seeing the other act so skittish around him, and he said as much. "Eren. Don't look at me like that."

Eren looked startled at being called out. "Like what, sir?"

"As usual, you're shit when it comes to hiding your emotions." Levi stated. He gave an imperceptible sigh. "It was entirely my own decision to oversee your training so stop beating yourself over the head about it."

"But because of me, you're behind with your own work, Corporal!" Eren sounded extremely distressed. "Hanji told me how you had a lot of paperwork to catch up on because you helped me with training." Eren's eyes were downcast as he added in a self-deprecating tone of voice, "If only I was stronger, then I wouldn't have to be such a burden to you, Corporal."

"Don't you  _dare_  say that."

Eren flinched at the harsh tone. Seeing this, Levi tried to soften his voice a bit, but still make his words firm. "Don't ever let me hear you say that again, Eren. You shoulder all of humanity's hopes on your shoulders. You aren't a burden so you better drill this into that puny brain of yours."

"Thank you, sir," Eren's cheeks were now lightly flushed from all the praises. He quickly glanced away, unable to hold Levi's gaze. "Uhm...if you don't want the tea, sir, I'll be happy to get you something else."

"Hm? It's fine, leave it." With Eren's eyes trained expectantly at him, Levi had little choice but to raise the cup to his lips. His eyes widened slightly when a pleasantly cool flavor immediately washed over his senses. "This isn't my usual tea blend."

"No, sir. This is chamomile and spearmint. It's known for its soothing properties and supposedly helps to relieve stress." Eren fidgeted nervously. "If you don't like it, I'll bring you your usual blend."

"This is fine." More than fine actually, as Levi lifted the cup up for another sip.  _Huh. Brat actually knows his teas. Who would have thought._ "Eren, how many tea blends do you know?"

Eren perked up at the question. "Quite a few of them, sir! My father was a doctor so I learned a lot about various herbs and blends from him."

"Good. I expect you to make me my tea from here on out." Levi set the now empty tea cup down and took another piece of paperwork from the stack.

Disbelief was written on Eren's face. "Do you really mean it, Corporal?"

"Are you already hard of hearing at your age?" Levi said impatiently. "I don't mince words, brat. Besides, you were the one who asked for something to help with."

From the corner of his eyes, Levi watched as a bright smile split across Eren's face. "Yes, sir!" he said eagerly. "But are you sure there isn't anything that I can help you with right now?"

Levi set down his pen and eyed Eren with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Since you're so damn insistent, I'll give you something to do. Sit down on the couch."

Eren looked highly confused, but did so obediently. "Like this, sir?..." He gave a start when a warm weight suddenly settled on his lap. Eren glanced down and immediately flushed a deep red. "C-Corporal?!"

Levi had also settled himself down on the couch and had arranged it so that his head was resting on Eren's lap and his legs were hanging off the opposite armrest. Levi set down the paperwork that he had brought along with him and stared up at the flustered cadet, his expression as impassive as ever. "Something wrong, Eren?"

"N-Not at all, sir." Eren sat stiffly and kept his hands firmly fisted against the sides of his thighs as the flush continued to travel up to the very tips of his ears.

Levi noticed the cadet's rigidness. "Does this make you uncomfortable, Eren?"

"No!" Eren's eyes widened. Despite the blush evident on his face, his tone was genuine. "It's fine as long as you are comfortable, Corporal."

"I see." The next few minutes were spent in silence, save for the occasional flip of paperwork as Levi looked over them.

As soon he had his embarrassment relatively until control, Eren forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. He dared a quick glance down at the corporal. Lying on his lap and silently reading over his papers, Levi looked completely unguarded and relatively at peace for once. Eren felt a slight thrill run through him when he realized that Levi trusted him to this extent.

A lock of hair fell into his eyes when Levi shifted position and Eren resisted the urge to brush it out of his face. Upon closer observation, Eren realized that Levi's raven hair looked so silky and fine and he itched to find out if it felt as soft as it looked. Against his better judgment, Eren reached out with slightly trembling fingers.

Levi was so deeply immersed with his work that he gave a slight start when he suddenly felt gentle fingers slowly card through his hair. His surprise must have registered on his face because the fingers stopped abruptly in their stroking and a string of apologies immediately followed.

"I-I'm so sorry, Corporal Levi, sir!" Eren apologized profusely. "I couldn't help myself! Your hair just looked so soft and you just looked so peaceful lying there and I—"

Levi raised a hand up and Eren flinched on instinct, believing that he was about to be punished for stepping across the line. Eren's eyes snapped open in shock when instead of the blow he was expecting, he felt calloused fingers tenderly caress the curve of a cheek.

"Corporal?" Eren's eyes were wide as he looked down to meet the eyes of his superior officer.

"Don't ever change, Eren. That's all I ask." Levi murmured as he continued to stroke Eren's cheek with the same gentleness. An unreadable emotion flickered in his gray eyes for split second before it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

The brief, tender moment was cut short when Levi lowered his hand almost reluctantly and turned his attention back to his paperwork. "I don't mind, by the way."

"Huh?" Eren was still having trouble processing things after what had just transpired.

"Keep that up and I'll really start thinking that you're hard of hearing." Levi muttered. "I said that I don't mind if you want to touch my hair."

"R-Really? I mean, are you sure?..."

Levi made an impatient noise. "If it was something I disliked, I would have made it very clear by now."

"Okay..." Eren hesitatingly lowered his fingers back onto Levi's hair. When he saw that Levi truly made no attempt to shove him off, Eren became more bold with his actions and was soon carding his fingers through the raven black hair with a measured pace. A soft, contented sigh—a sigh so soft that Eren was sure he had misheard—escaped from Levi's lips as Eren continued his ministrations.

The two spent the next few minutes or so in peaceful silence. Eren was beginning to feel extremely comfortable in his current position, with the warm weight of Levi on his lap, the rhythmic stroking of the corporal's hair, and the cozy temperature of the room. Unconsciously, he felt his eyes begin to flutter close.

* * *

_It's warm..._

Eren thought sleepily as rubbed the sleep out of his groggy eyes. He threw his arms out to stretch lazily as he scanned his surroundings with a languid eye.  _Where am I? This isn't my room._  Confusion set in when Eren didn't recognize his immediate setting.

As Eren struggled to get his brain to function properly again, he belatedly realized that there was a warm weight on his chest. The source of the warmth, as Eren soon discovered, was a Scouting Legion cloak draped carefully over him. He picked up the cloak curiously.  _This isn't my cloak. But whose?..._

The last vestiges of sleep immediately disappeared when a flood of realization washed over him.  _I was in Corporal's office! And then we were on the couch and I...oh god._ Eren leapt up from the couch and turned to face Levi's desk so fast he was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "Corporal Levi sir! I—"

Eren felt his breath leave him when he saw that Levi was watching him with a most intense look in his eyes. As if suddenly realizing that Eren was staring back at him, Levi composed himself back to his usual impassive expression. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to join us."

Hearing those words, Eren immediately bowed and began to blurt out apologies. "I'm so sorry, Corporal! I didn't mean to doze off like that."

"There's nothing wrong with sleeping when you're tired." Levi said, turning his attention back to his paperwork. "Though you did waste quite a bit of time with that nap. You should go take a dump and take care of whatever the hell you still need to do now."

"Alright, sir, I will. Uhm..." Eren gripped at the warm cloak that had served as his makeshift blanket for a while. "I-Is this your cloak by any chance?"

Levi didn't even look up from his work. "Leave it by the couch on your way out."

"Okay..." Eren carefully folded up the cloak into a neat square and gingerly replaced it on the couch. "I also just wanted to say, uhm...thank you very much, Corporal!" Eren gave one last bow before making a hasty retreat.

It must have been his imagination, but Eren swore that he could feel Levi's piercing stare on his back as he walked out of the office.

* * *

Ever since the incident in Levi's office, Eren wasn't sure what to think. He had spent all night tossing and turning in bed as his mind looped the scene over and over again. In fact, he had spent so much time mulling over it that he barely got any sleep at all. His lack of sleep was evidenced by the heavy bags under his eyes and throughout the day, Eren was vaguely aware of the concerned looks that were thrown in his direction.

Armin voiced his concerns over lunch. "Are you okay, Eren? You haven't been yourself lately."

"Have you been getting enough sleep? That damn midget isn't working you too hard, is he?" Mikasa asked.

Eren waved off their concerns. "I'm fine." He sighed and lowered his head onto his hands. "Just a bit confused about some things."

"Is it anything we can help with?" Mikasa asked right away. "You know you can talk to us about anything."

"Yeah, but I don't think you guys will..."

"It has to do with Corporal Levi, doesn't it?" Armin said.

Eren sputtered through the sip of water he had just taken and stared at Armin with wide, startled eyes. "H-How did you know?"

"It's pretty damn obvious to just about anyone with eyes." Jean interrupted. "God, just jump him already or something. We're tired of watching the two of you dance around each other."

"Jean's right." Connie said, nodding. "I mean it was pretty funny at first, but now it's just old."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Eren demanded, more than a little frustrated by their cryptic speaking.

Jean scoffed. "You're so blind that you can't even understand your own feelings. Seems that you're an even bigger idiot than I originally thought."

"You want to say that again?" Eren stood up from his seat and roughly grabbed the front of Jean's shirt.

"I'll say it as many times as I need to, but it doesn't mean that it's going to get through that thick head of yours."

"Damn you!"

"Hey, hey, let's break it up here!" Armin squeezed himself between the two, who looked as if they were about to exchange blows at any second. "Mikasa, hold Jean back. Eren, come with me." Armin took ahold of Eren's arm and led him out the room.

"Che." Jean took a moment to readjust his shirt. "Good luck trying to talk sense into that stubborn idiot." A pause. "Hey, it still counts as me wining the bet if he realizes his feelings after Armin talks to him, right?"

"No way!" Connie interjected. "Didn't we all agree that there would be no direct interference?"

"Technically, your little argument with Eren back there violates our no interference policy since you were the one who instigated the argument, Jean." Ymir stated. She gave a sly smirk. "Which means that you're officially out of the bet."

"But Armin—"

"Never actually agreed to take part in the bet, so his interference doesn't count."

"...Damn." Jean cursed. "But that's not fair."

Ymir gave a nonchalant shrug. "No one ever said we had to play fair. So, Christa," she purred, draping an arm over the petite blonde. "What would you like to do with our winnings?"

"Don't be so confident!" Connie declared. "You haven't won yet! Eren might not realize his feelings until the day after tomorrow!" He looked more like he was trying to convince himself than anything.

"Yeah!" Sasha added. "Me and Connie still have a chance of winning the bet!"

Ymir looked unperturbed. "Eren not realizing his own feelings even after a direct talking to with Armin? Even he can't be that dense. And sorry, boys." Here she turned to smirk at Reiner and Bertholdt. "It's not my fault you estimated too early."

"Damn Eren and his obliviousness." Reiner muttered. "I was so sure that one of them would have jumped the other by now."

"I just hope that Corporal Levi and Eren can get together soon," Christa said sincerely.

"You truly are a goddess, Christa," Ymir said as she ruffled the other's hair in a fond sort of gesture. "But don't worry your pretty little head about it. If my assumption is correct—and I'm quite confident that I am—we'll be seeing a new couple before the day is over..."

* * *

Eren finally voiced his protests when Armin led him down a deserted hallway. "Where are we going, Armin? I wasn't done back there!"

Armin dropped his arm and turned around to face him. "To be perfectly honest with you, Eren, I have to agree with what Jean said back there."

" _What_? You're saying that you agree with horse face back there?"

"Well, he does have a point." Armin conceded. "Eren, you still haven't realized your own feelings yet, have you?"

"What are you talking about?" Eren asked impatiently. "You guys kept going on about 'my feelings' or whatever back there. What is this all about anyways?"

"Corporal Levi." Armin carefully gauged his friend's reaction to the name.

"W-What? What does Corporal have to do with anything?" As predicted, Eren became quite flustered and a slow red flush unconsciously crept into his cheeks.

"He has everything to do it." Armin spoke slowly, as if he was explaining a particularly difficult concept to a small child. "Tell me, Eren, what do you think about Corporal?"

"I respect him a lot!" Eren said immediately. "Corporal is such a strong person and I really look up to him! He's also a very sincere person and though he doesn't seem like it, he's extremely kind, caring, and considerate, and I really want to learn more about him and be someone he can rely on and spend all of my time with him and..." Eren trailed off as if just realizing what he was just saying.

"Holy shit." He breathed out. Eren's eyes widened and he looked absolutely shocked by his sudden revelation. "I...I like Corporal Levi." He repeated the words, as if half-believing that they would be different the second time around. "I  _like_  Corporal Levi."

Eren heard Armin mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "Took you long enough," but he was too focused on his own growing panic to take notice. "What do I do, Armin?" He gripped the blond's shoulders tightly. "How am I supposed to face him now?"

"Eren, it's okay," Armin said soothingly. "Everything's going to be alright..."

"No, no it won't! How am I supposed to act normally around him now? Oh god, he's going to think I'm some kind of idiot and—"

"Eren!" Armin raised his voice slightly in order to cut through his tirade. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

"How do you know?" Eren demanded, still half-distraught with worry.

"Because Corporal Levi reciprocates your feelings as well."

Silence. Then, "You're joking, right? I get that you're trying to make me feel better and all, but..."

Armin exhaled noisily, exasperation written all over his face. "God, Eren, you're my best friend and all, but you can be so oblivious at times! Corporal Levi likes you! He has for quite a while now!"

In face of Armin's firm words, Eren could doubt no longer. "...Really?" He whispered disbelievingly. "But how do you know?"

"It's been pretty blatantly obvious to most of us that Corporal has treated you differently for a while now. And if that wasn't evidence enough, his recent courting attempts definitely confirmed it."

"He's been courting me?" Eren repeated, incredulous.

"Yes, Eren. Has been for the past few days now too." Eren suddenly thought back to the events of the past couple of days: the extra attention, the deliberate touches, the heated looks...

"Wow...but I don't...I'm not..." Eren took a moment to collect himself. "It's just...I'm still not sure if Corporal really feels that way about me. I mean, what if you're looking at this wrong?"

"Look, if you're so unsure about Corporal's feelings, why don't you ask him yourself?" Armin suggested. "That's the best way to confirm it, isn't it?"

"You know what? I think I will." With a determined look in his eyes, Eren strode off in the direction of Levi's office. He paused in midstep to turn around and add, "Oh, and thanks, Armin."

"It's no problem, Eren." Armin gave a sincere smile. "Good luck."

* * *

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, standing in front of Levi's door for the second time of the day, the beginnings of doubt began to creep up on Eren.  _No!_  He shook his head to physically rid himself of his negative thoughts. He had come all this way to find out and he was not going to leave without an answer.

Eren took a deep breath, steeling himself before knocking on the door.

"Enter."

Trepidation washed over Eren as he walked in. "Corporal Levi, sir." He saluted in greeting.

Levi glanced up from his paperwork. "So it's you again, Eren. What is it this time?"

"Corporal..." Eren looked uncharacteristically nervous. "There's an important matter I must ask you about."

Levi gave an impatient wave of his hand. "Well? Are you going to spit it out?"

Eren dug deep into his reserves of courage before blurting out the burning question. "How do you feel about me, sir?" Eren felt an embarrassed flush burn on his cheeks when Levi said nothing in response and merely aimed an intense stare at him. "I-It's just that I...I really like you, Corporal Levi, sir." Here Eren averted his eyes, unable to hold Levi's piercing stare any longer. "But I don't know how you feel and I just..."

Eren trailed off when Levi got up from his chair and approached him with slow, purposeful strides. Levi stopped right in front of Eren and seemed to regard the cadet for a moment. Eren flushed a deeper red as he felt the corporal's appraising eyes sweep over him.

"You wanted to know how I felt about you?" Eren gave a yelp of surprise when Levi suddenly pulled him down for a brief, but searing kiss that left no doubt as to what his true feelings were. Eren gave a light whine when he felt Levi bite down on his lower lip before soothing it over with a warm swipe of his tongue. "Does that answer your question, shitty brat?"

Eren emerged with flushed cheeks and kiss-bruised lips. "Yes, sir!" He said a bit breathlessly. He gave his lips a contemplative lick before adding, "But Corporal, I don't think I completely understood that the first time around. May I ask for another demonstration?"

Levi sighed, but Eren could see the corners of his lips quirk up in amusement. "You're such a shitty brat, Eren."

Eren added little bit cheekily. "But I'm your shitty brat, aren't I, Corporal?"

Levi responded by pulling Eren down to meet his lips again and Eren felt, rather than saw, the other's smirk. "At least you understand that much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waah, I can't believe it's finished! Levi heichou has finally achieved his happy ending after a long, arduous struggle. But goodness, Eren was just so gosh darn oblivious. Good thing, you're such a cutie!
> 
> Anyways, I just wanted to say again: thank you all so very much for supporting and following this story up until now! I hope you all found this to be a satisfying ending. I look forward to writing more for this pairing and the SnK fandom in the future~


End file.
